Pitman for mowers



Feb. 23, F R Cook PITMAN FORv MOWERS Filed April 23, 1930 Patented Feb. 23, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK R. COOK, 0F MOLINE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 DEERE & COMPANY, OF MOLINE,

ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS i II'IMAN FOR MOWERS Application led April 23,

My invention relates to the cutting mechanism of harvesting machinery and more particularly to the pitman and the means employed to attach it to the knife head of a mower. My invention has for its object to provide a simple and effective device by the operation of which the pitman straps, connecting the pitman with the knife head. are attached to the spherical block on the latter` with a firm and resilient pressure which can be readily adjusted to compensate for wear of the parts.

Referring to the drawings in which similar numerals indicate identical parts- Figure 1 is a plan View of the grassward end of a pitman embodying my invention as attached to the spherical block of a knife head, a part only of which has been shown;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal transverse section, in part, of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view, in part, of Figure 1, but illustrating relief of the pressure of the pitman straps on the spherical block on the knife head, the position of the parts for adjustment of the straps, or for spreadingr the latter to disconnect them from the knife head; and,

FFigure 4 is a detail section of a part of s my invention is applied to the grassward end of the pitman together with the knife head to which it is attached, sufficient of the knife head has been shown to illustrate its application. The body 1 of the pitman is wood and on opposite sides thereof are respectively secured, by rivets 2, pitman straps 3 and 4 each provided at its grassward end with a semi-spherical cup bearing 5 adapted to receive between them the spherical block 6 which is commonly integral with the knife head 7.

The pitman straps 3 and 4 are resilient and consequently capable of being adjusted at all times to fit snugly on the block to compensate for the wear occasioned by continued operation of the mower, and to accomplish this adjustment I utilize the following parts consisting of a bolt 8 one end of which is threaded and inserted in a threaded aperture 9 in the strap 4. The bolt 8 extends toward the strap 1930. Serial No. 446,532.

3 and projects through an aperture 10 therein, and in alinement with the aperture 9, and terminates with an eye 11.

Engaging with the eye 11 is a similar eye 12 formed on an end of a lever 13 normally extending stubbleward, and fulcrumed on a stud 14 integral with the strap 3. The lever 13 is resilient and its opposite end is adapted to engage with a catch 15 secured on the strap 3 by one of the rivets 2 which fasten the straps to the pitman body 1.

In the operation of my invention when it is desired to tighten or loosen the contact of the cup bearings 5 on the block 6 I release the stubb-leward end of the lever 13 from the catch 15 and raise it until it is free to be operated to rotate the bolt 8 in the desired direction to increase or lessen the pressure of the straps on the block 6, and after either operation I again secure the lever under the catch 15 and so clamping the straps with a greater or lesser pressure according to the adjustment made, the lever rocking on its fulcrum on the stud 14 as it is returned to its normal position shown in Figures 1 and 2 and so drawing the straps toward each other. It is obvious that either a half or a full turn of the bolt 8 can be made to increase or lessen its length between the straps for the desired adjustment; and it is also apparent that when the lever 13 is disengaged from the catch 15, and a proper tool is used, the straps 3 and 4 can be readily spread apart a sufficient distance to disconnect them from the block 6 and so separate the pitman from the knife head for any desired purpose.

While I have shown and described my invention as a means for adj ustably connecting a pitman with a knife head, I have also applied the invention with equal success to the connection of the pitman with the flywheel. In using my invention for connecting the pitman to the flywheel, I prefer to aline the openings 9 and 10 with a boring through the connecting lug on the sleeve j ournaled on the crank pin of the flywheel, the bolt 8 passing through this boring.

What I claim is- 1. A pitman including resilient straps provided with cup bearings, oppositely disposed apertures in said straps, one of said apertures larger than the other, a bolt threaded in the smaller aperture and terminating in an eye extending into the larger aperture, a lever having an eye engaged With the eye in the bolt and admissible in the larger aperture, said lever operable jointly with the bolt to draw said stra-ps together, a lug on the strap adjacent the lever and on Which the lever fulorums, and means to secure the le# ver to the strap.

2. A pitlnan comprising a rod, a pair of straps mounted on opposite sides of said rod and eXtending'beyond the end thereof, said straps having opposing semi-spherical cup bearings at the ends for receiving the spherieal block oi a knife head, said straps also having alined apertures positioned between said bearings and the end of said rod, a bolt extending through said apertures, being anchored in one aperture, the other aperture being enlarged to permit free passage of the bolt therein, a lug on the outside side of the strap having the enlarged aperture, a catch aliiXed to the pitman in longitudinal alinement With the said lug, and a resilient lever coupled to said bolt and adapted to bear on said lug with its free end retained by said catch, said lever being subjected to a bending stress and capable of flexing to yieldingly urge said straps toward each other in cooperation With said bolt.

FRANK R. COOK. 

